NEWS&BLOG

「What is it like to live in Taiwan?」- Life of Foreign tenant in Taiwan, Taipei

Hello, this is BORDERLESS HOUSE in Taipei!
We have a tenant from France who currently stays at BORDERLESS HOUSE TAIPEI. He has a good relationship not only with his housemates but also with BORDERLESS HOUSE staff.
He joins many events which held by BORDERLESS HOUSE and made a lot of friends here. Sometimes he shares his life in Taiwan with us, it seems he really enjoys his living here.

Today we would like to have a long interview with him and let him share his joyful experience to more people!

-First, please introduce yourself!!

Hi, my name is Samuel. I come from France. I'm 27 years old. After graduation from business school, and before coming to Taiwan, I worked 3 years in Paris, as a consultant in Digital Marketing. I like sport, all kinds, and most specially basketball, which I practice since I'm child. During my free time, I am also watching series and movies, and go hanging out with my friends.
(Samuel joined Taiwan’s National Day celebration.)

-What reason bring you to Taiwan? And what is your main purpose to come here?

When I was at University I met few Taiwanese people. We then became really good friends but unfortunately they had to go back to Taiwan and I found a job in Paris. Three years later I decided to have a new experience and come live in Asia. Taiwan was then an obvious choice for me. Also because I heard a lot of good things about this island. I am so glad to be there. I am currently learning Chinese at Chinese culture university in Taipei, and hope to find a job here later and settle down for few more years maybe.
(Samuel came to Taiwan for meeting Taiwanese friends and learning Mandarin. He attended a global culture program as an ambassador of culture exchange. He has taught Taiwanese children French in an elementary school!)
-How long have you been here so far? Please share your life during your stay in Taiwan with everyone!
Time flies... I have been here for six months already. I really enjoyed it so far. It's so different than France. I discover many things. I think the life in Taiwan is easy and convenient. It's also a good start for westerners in Asia. Weekdays I go to school to study Chinese, on weekend and holidays I take time to visit Taiwan. I already went to many places: Hualien, Taidung, Ludao, Tainan, Taichung... I like to go around Taipei, sightseeing, hiking or just relaxing at the beach. There is so much to do here! I also practice Tai Chi (太極) since few months ago, which is a way for me to discover more about Asian cultures. As sport lover, I also go running around Da'an park and play basketball with my roommates. There are many places to play basketball and it's a good way to meet Taiwanese people.
(Samuel has traveled a lot and has visited many beautiful places in Taiwan.)

-Speaking of Taiwan, what is the most attractive point for you?

As I said, Taiwan has a good ... in France. Before I came I heard many good things about here. Compare to China, cities in Taiwan are smaller and life is probably less stressful. I confirm it is good living in Taiwan for foreigners. I think people are nice, helpful and open-minded. Life is not too expensive, and very convenient. There are shops open 24 hours and restaurants or street stands everywhere. You should try the night markets! Moreover, you can go wherever you want very quickly, nice to travel around!
(Samuel loves Taiwanese people and the environment so much. He deeply experienced the local life here.)

-Is there anything which is difficult or tough for you to live in Taiwan?

First, of course the language barrier, especially in restaurants. It is difficult to find someone who speak English there, and as the food is so different than what we are used to in France, it was sometimes tough for me. I also needed to get adapted to the weather here, very hot during summer, and often wet. I never saw so much rain.

-Then let's talk about your life in BORDERLESS HOUSE! How do you like your life here? Could you share us your daily life in a share house?
It's great!! It's really great! I felt like home from the first day. The atmosphere is very friendly and warm. Despite the different cultures and numbers of people living all together, everything is going well. I usually like to have many people around me, which make me really happy here! We often chat on the common area, having dinner together or maybe some drinks. Taking care to each other, as family. I feel I'm so lucky to have my housemates, really! And of course it also a good way for me to practice Chinese as half of tenants is Taiwanese and most of other also learn Chinese.

(The atmosphere in BORDERLESS HOUSE is very friendly and warm which makes Samuel joyful.)

-So why do you choose BORDERLESS HOUSE in the first beginning? And how do you find BORDERLESS HOUSE?
I was looking for a shared house in Taipei and I thought the concept offered by BORDERLESS HOUSE is really interesting. It was a good opportunity for me to live with locals which is not always easy to find when you don't speak the main language. And I think it was a both easy and secure way to find a house in another country. The staff replied me very quickly and were so nice to me. I found BORDERLESS HOUSE with Taiwanese portal site called 591.

(Samuel with BORDERLESS HOUSE staff. He thinks staffs are very helpful for anything needed, if something happened in the house also in tenants’ daily life.)

-What was the best part and the most impressive thing that happened during your stay in Borderless House?

It is very important for me to have a comfortable place to live. Which I found thanks to BORDERLESS HOUSE. I feel lucky to have such nice people around me. My stay here made the experience much more valuable and memorable for sure!

-You joined many events which held by BORDERLESS HOUSE, like board game event and Halloween party! And you've just came back from Tokyo with our Free House Exchange Program!

Yes, I am always willing to participate to events organized by BORDERLESS HOUSE. It's an opportunity to meet people, and it's always lot of fun! We usually share similar values and as we all live in BORDERLESS HOUSE, I think it makes the first contact easier. I really enjoyed my stay in Tokyo. Thanks to the exchange program, this make my trip cheaper and much easier as well. I was also very happy to meet other tenants there. We shared a lot about our past experiences, at BORDERLESS HOUSE, in our respective city, and before.
(Samuel joined BORDERLESS HOUSE picnic event in summer and Halloween event.)

-With your experience, could you kindly give some advice to those who are considering to come to Taiwan or who is going to move to Taipei soon?

First I would say "don't hesitate, Taiwan is definitely a good choice". I also deeply recommend them to consider BORDERLESS HOUSE. I know sometimes sharing room could be a barrier for some, but really this accommodation is great, and the houses are big enough to have your own space. Also, staffs are very helpful for anything we need, if something happened in the house and also in our daily life.
(Samuel also joined our Tenant’s only*Free House Exchange Program to got to Tokyo.)
Thank you very much for Samuel's sharing!
We hope every one who come to Taiwan can have a great time and enjoy the life every day here like Samuel!
Check BORDERLESS HOUSE in Taipei>>
http://www.borderless-house.com/tw/all/
Check Tenant’s only Program>>
Free House Exchange
http://www.borderless-house.com/houseexchange/
Language Exchange
http://www.borderless-house.com/languageexchange/